The Public Relations Handbook for Nonprofits

Nonprofit organizations must employ effective, professional public relations techniques in order to get the recognition, support and dollars they need to fulfill their missions. The Public Relations Handbook for Nonprofits offers you the first comprehensive guide to all the practices organizations need to do well in their efforts to do good. This title examines all the elements, tools and processes involved in an effective nonprofit PR campaign.

Offering a combination of theory and practice, it shows you how to market to your key audiences, both inside and outside of your organization. In addition to helping you understand you target markets and shaping your message for your audience, Feinglass discusses all the key public relations vehicles, including:

• news releases
• press kits
• brochures
• newsletters
• annual reports
• direct mail
• advertising
• the internet
• special events

A final chapter walks you step by step through the process of developing your own comprehensive public relations campaign.

Exhibits ix

Foreword xi
By Naomi Levine

Preface xiii

The Author xxi

PART ONE: GETTING STARTED 1

1 Identifying Target Markets 3

2 Setting Goals, Clarifying the Message, and Creating the PR Plan 21

PART TWO: THE PR TOOLKIT 47

3 Choosing the Right Spokesperson 49

4 Writing and Placing the News Release 57

5 Maximizing Alternative Press Tools 88

6 Crafting Press Kits 107

7 Creating Brochures 116

8 Communicating Through Newsletters 131

9 Producing Annual Reports 145

10 Making Direct Mail Work 156

11 Understanding Advertising 171

12 Pitching and Placing: Radio 191

13 Pitching and Placing: Television 206

14 Producing Videos and DVDs 229

15 Using the Internet 244

16 Planning Dinners and Special Events 252

PART THREE: MONITORING THE PR CAMPAIGN 283

17 Reviewing and Revising the PR Plan 285

18 Reporting to Stakeholders 294

Conclusion: Bringing It All Together 299

Index 303

Art Feinglass is founder and president of Access Communications, Inc., a New York-based training and public relations firm. He is an adjunct professor at New York University's George H. Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising, where he teaches courses in public relations for nonprofits. He has more than twenty years of experience in public relations for nonprofits and serves on the Communications Advisory Committee of the American Red Cross in Greater New York. He can be reached at www.artfeinglass.com. Learn to thrive in the highly competitive environment of nonprofit public relations. The Public Relations Handbook for Nonprofits shows you how to get the recognition, support, and dollars you need to fulfill your mission. It explains key PR theory and provides basic guides, checklists, and practical, step-by-step advice. It illustrates concepts with a wealth of examples and case studies drawn from successful actual campaigns from a wide range of fields, including religious, arts, educational, and social service organizations. And it discusses all the key public relations vehicles, including news releases, press kits, brochures, newsletters, annual reports, direct mail, advertising, the internet, and special events.